5 ways to make your blog work for you (not the other way around).

I know how hard and time-consuming it may seem to keep up a blog every week.

In fact, most people I know try to post EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

Crazy, right?

The consistency of your posts all depends on the industry you’re in and the quality of your content. Don’t feel like you have to blog every single day. I make sure I post about once a week, and I make sure that the content quality is much higher.

Besides how often you should post, there are some things you can do to make your blog work for you & not the other way around.

01. Write original content.

I know that there was an awesome infographic on another site that you just HAD to share, but share it on social media – not your website.

You want to draw people to your blog for your own original content, not for someone else’s content. (Unless it’s a guest post, but even then it should still be original content).

This is the number one thing you can do to build your own expertise and value, and is the reason that people will continue to come back.

02. Use your own voice.

Don’t sound corporate if you’re not corporate.

Have a hard time transferring your talking voice into your writing voice? Hire a writing coach to help, take a course, practice, practice, practice.

Your voice is your personality, and it’s what it going to make you stand out in a crowded online world. Let your readers get to know the real you, and don’t worry if some people don’t like they way you talk. Let them go elsewhere, because for everyone who doesn’t like you, there’s a whole group of people that love you.

03. Use an editorial calendar.

Ever sit there on a Sunday night trying to think of something to write for your Monday blog post? What happens is you end up writing a half-assed blog post, because you didn’t give yourself enough time to think about the subject, brainstorm and pull your best ideas together. Instead you slapped something together and hit publish. A couple of days later, you think of something that you should have talked about that would’ve made so much more sense.

Enter an editorial calendar. It will keep your blog post ideas together in one place so that you can go to the list, choose one that feels inspiring and write.

04. Include visuals.

I know that we aren’t all designers that can put together a mean moodboard, but I also know that we own a computer and can Google just about anything in the world.

Even if your visual is a nice piece of stock photography that relates to the topic, it’s better than nothing. Here are two reasons why:

Also, just a pet peeve of mine – make your images as wide as your post content. I can’t stand it when I’m reading through an awesome article and then all of a sudden, there’s an image smack dab in the middle of the post way smaller than everything else. It just throws of the eye and it’s not nice.

This doesn’t mean that you should make the photos larger, because that will just make them grainy. Instead, left align the image and have your text wrap around it. Much prettier than a centered image floating around.

05. Include a call-to-action (tell them what to do next).

Readers want to be told what to do next. If you don’t tell them what to do, chances are that they won’t do a damn thing. ( Tweet This )

Here are a few things you could have them do (definitely not all of the things, but some of the most common that I use):

Sign up for your email list (even better if you offer them a freebie of sorts and give them a reason to sign up).

Check out your signature offering (if the post relates to the signature offering).

Download a worksheet and take action.

Interact and share the post on social media (make it easy for them to share on social media by include “Tweet This” links within your posts or a sharing widget somewhere on your blog).

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Oh, and if you’re feeling really inspired, leave me a comment below.

Tell me your biggest struggle and pain point when it comes to writing for your blog. I respond to most comments (that need responding to), so feel free to ask any questions!